Acid emergency as 'cloudy vapours' rose from rubbish bin

GYMPIE Regional Council staff have won praise from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland for their handling of an acid emergency at the council's Gunalda Waste Management Facility, after they discovered cloudy vapours emerging from a bin.

Checks revealed an acidic chemical, illegally dumped, had reacted with other material in the bin, a council spokeswoman said.

"Council staff immediately activated emergency procedures, secured the site and called emergency services.

"Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) took over control of the incident and neutralised the chemical," she said.

The Queensland Ambulance Service carried out precautionary examinations of council staff to ensure they were not affected by the fumes.

Mayor Mick Curran said the incident had tested council's systems and processes as well as the work of the agencies involved.

The specific type of chemical was not determined but the threat was dealt with effectively and safely, Cr Curran said.